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Gareth Southgate believes his England team have already won back the hearts of the nation as they attempt to end the country’s major tournament knockout hoodoo against Colombia.

England take on Colombia in Moscow on Tuesday night for a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, having not won a knockout game in any major tournament since beating Ecuador in 2006.

But manager Southgate thinks his young side have already overcome a major hurdle in Russia by winning back the public’s affection and bringing an end to the apathy that overshadowed the qualifying victories over Slovenia and Malta.

“Ten months ago, we qualified (for the World Cup) and people were throwing paper aeroplanes on to the pitch at Wembley,” said Southgate. “We were driving back to our hotel in Malta with some obscene chants being thrown at us from supporters.

“I feel like we’ve started to connect the team with the public again. I feel like we’ve created excitement, like we’ve played in a style that has really shown an expression of what young English players are capable of, and I want us to continue doing that.”

“They’ve been able to change perceptions of how an England team might play,” said Southgate. “We mustn’t lose sight of that.

“I really believe in the group of players we’ve got. They are young. They are inexperienced. For some of them, this will be one of the biggest games (against Colombia) they’ll have been involved in. But maybe not the biggest. We’ve always got to keep that context for the players.”

Southgate himself has become a popular figure, with Marks and Spencer even reporting that sales of the waistcoat he wears increasing by 35 per cent since the World Cup kicked off.

“I wasn’t aware of that until someone sent me the article this morning,” said Southgate. “I’m slightly concerned because, as a centre-half who took a lot of knocks to the head, I’m not normally synonymous with ‘fashion icon’. I know my strengths and I know I’m no David Beckham. So it just shows anything is possible in life.”

Southgate is expected to revert back to the side the started the Tunisia match, with fit-again Dele Alli coming back in, and expects a tougher challenge now England are playing for a quarter-final place.

Asked what changes once sides get to the knockout stages, Southgate replied: “I think the level of the games, in terms of the quality. Obviously the focus, because more excitement, more anticipation, more external noise. What’s possible – the dreams – becomes closer.

Our last full day in Repino before the #ThreeLions head to Moscow tomorrow.

“But we have to look at this one game. We’re in the last 16. We want to be in the quarter-finals. But it’s a game of football. It’s no different to all the other games we’ve played. It’s just that there’s a little bit more interest in it.

“In a tournament situation, the games are always going to be tight and hinge on small moments. But, also, generally the better teams have won. We have to set our minds to control what we can and keep the level of performance as we’ve had it.”

Jordan Pickford will once again be England’s goalkeeper against Colombia, despite the fact the Everton man’s failure to save Adnan Januzaj’s goal for Belgium in Kaliningrad sparked criticism.

Thibaut Courtois highlighted the fact Pickford, who stands at 6ft 1in, is smaller than most of his World Cup peers.

England's No 1 Jordan Pickford let in Belgium's winner in their final group stage matchCredit:
Getty Images

But Southgate defended Pickford by saying: “I remember when we were talking about young goalkeepers at a conference and Martin Thomas, who is a brilliant coach educator and was under-21s goalkeeping coach, was talking about the difference between a couple of goalkeepers. And, size-wise, he was saying ‘At the end of the day, we’re talking about a Cadbury’s Creme Egg between them’. That’s what it is.

“So, yes, of course some keepers are 6ft 6in, but they have attributes that they’re not so good at. And you get slightly smaller ones who are athletically better and have different skill sets. So, it’s rare to find perfection in anybody.

“I’m really pleased with Jordan’s performances. He knows the belief I have in him. He is an important fit for the way we want to play. I don’t think he’s had much chance with the goals that have gone in. That can be a goalkeeper’s lot at times. But he has to make sure he knows the views of those who are important and, like everyone else, cut himself away from the outside views that can start to inhibit your thinking.”